Children's of Alabama doctor from Jordan discusses impact of President Trump's travel ban

Children's of Alabama doctor from Jordan discusses impact of President Trump's travel ban

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Updated: 6:03 PM CST Feb 6, 2017

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WEBVTT ONTO START AND THEN UNSUPERVISED PROBATION.>> IN FOREIGN DOCTORS ARE FROM SYRIA, A COMPANY ON THE PRESIDENT'S TRAVEL BAN LIST.LOOKING AT HOW IT COULD AFFECT APROGRAM OF SENDING FOREIGN DOCTORS TO PLACES FEW PHYSICIANSARE WILLING TO WORK.>> FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS DR. HASSAN -- HAS DEDICATED HIS LIFETO SERVING THE CHILDREN OF ALABAMA TREATING 12 TO 15 PATIENTS A DAY.>> YOU COME HERE.YOU MEET THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.YOU LOVE THEM.YOU LOVE YOUR PATIENTS.AND YOU GET STUCK HERE.IN A GOOD WAY.>> ORIGINALLY FROM JORDAN, THE DOCTOR, A CHILDREN'S ENDOCRINOLOGIST IS ONE OF ABOUT 600 FOREIGN NATIONAL MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS WORKING IN THE STATE.>> I HAVE THE BEST TRAINING IN MEDICINE BY TRAINING NOTICE UNITED STATES.SO THAT WAS THE REASON OF WHY I CAME TO THE UNITED STATES.>> TRAINED IN ATLANTA, THE DOCTOR WENT TO ALEXANDER CITY FOR FOUR YEARS TO SERVE A COMMUNITY IN NEED OF DOCTORS.PART OF HIS VISA REQUIREMENT THAT WELCOMES 30 FOREIGN PHYSICIANS INTO THE STATE YEARLYBUT THAT WELCOME NOW IN JEOPARDYWITH THE PRESIDENT'S TRAVEL BAN TO CERTAIN MUSLIM COUNTRIES.>> WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE HIGHLY VETTED, WHO ARE WANTING TO COME TO THE UNITED STATES, AND WHO PROBABLY WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTORS TO THE FUTURE OF THIS COUNTRY.>> THE DEBATE OVER NATIONAL SECURITY NOW POSSIBLY RISKING THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN BY KEEPING THOSE DOCTORS WHO WANT TO HELP OUT OF UNDER SERVED AREAS OF ALABAMA.>> TODAY I SPOKE WITH THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH,

Children's of Alabama doctor from Jordan discusses impact of President Trump's travel ban

Many foreign physicians helping under-served areas of our state are from Syria -- one of the seven countries on President Donald Trump's travel ban list.

For more than 20 years, Dr. Hussein Abdul-Latif has dedicated his life to serving children, treating 12 to 15 patients a day at Children's of Alabama in Birmingham.

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"You come here and you meet the American people and you love them," Abdul-Latif said. "And you love your patients and you love them and you get stuck here, in a good way."

Abdul-Latif, an endocrinologist who’s originally from Jordan, is one of about 600 foreign national medical professionals working in the state.

"I will have the best training in medicine by coming to the United States, so that was the reason to come to the United States."

Trained in Atlanta, Abdul-Latif went to Alexander City for four years to serve a community in need of doctors as part of his visa requirement that welcomes 30 foreign physicians into the state yearly. But that welcome is now in jeopardy with the president's travel ban.

"We're talking about people who are highly vetted and who are wanting to come into the U.S. and who would probably be very big contributors to the future of this country,"he said.

The debate over national security now possibly risking the safety of children by keeping those doctors who want to help out of underserved areas of Alabama.